


Meet my son

by WeirdV



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Dinner, M/M, cop!Stiles, deputy!Derek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-19
Updated: 2015-02-02
Packaged: 2018-03-08 06:57:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3199748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WeirdV/pseuds/WeirdV
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Derek” the sheriff says, “I’d like you to meet my son, Stiles.”<br/>And Derek really doesn’t need the introduction, because he’d seen Stiles before. That very morning, to be exact.<br/>Just when you think a dinner can’t get any more awkward.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Derek curses as his alarm goes off. It’s early, way too early, he thinks as he drags himself out of bed, the man next to him looking at him sleepily.

“What’s up?” he asks, frowning in slight confusion.

“My first day on the new job” he says, “Got to go.”

The man nods, “okay” Derek leans down to give him a quick kiss, “I’m gonna sleep for another few hours, though. Worked late last night.”

Derek nods, grabs his clothes and makes his way to the bathroom for a quick shower before leaving the apartment.

 

His sister – Cora – calls him when he gets in his car and he answers the call with his hands free set.

“Derek!” she almost shouts through the phone, “You know, when you told me you were moving back home from New York, I _really_ thought I’d be seeing _more_ of you. But _no_ , you get back two weeks ago, meet a guy a day later and spend all your time at your boyfriend’s place.”

“He’s _not_ my boyfriend” Derek grits, rolling his eyes at her comment – which she obviously can’t see through the phone – and sighing, “I’ve told you that.”

“Fine, your _friend with benefits_ ” she says sarcastically, “Tell me though, _how_ exactly is this different from a boyfriend?”

“For _one_ thing, he doesn’t even know my last name. Nor do I know his. He doesn’t know my job, my address, my hobbies. And I don’t know anything about him but some nickname and where he lives, since we always go back to his place” he explains, “And before you ask – it’s because I share a place with you and he has his own place.”

“You’re _sure_ he’s an adult, though, right?” Cora asks, “I mean, not some weird college kid _pretending_ to be older just to get with your fine ass?”

“ _Yes_ , Cora. I’m sure” he says, “I got to go, time for work.”

“Good luck, Derek.”

“Thanks, love you.”

“Love you, too.”

 

 

~~~

 

His new job took some getting used to. After working as a cop in New York for three years – he’d drabbled around a bit before joining the police academy – being in a small town sheriff’s station was very different.

“Let me warn you immediately” the sheriff says, “Beacon Hills is a small town, we don’t get many murders. But the ones we do get are weird as fuck. We mostly get stolen cars – that often show up at the parking lot of the local supermarket because the owner forgot they took the car there the day before and walked home. We get missing pets, neighbor disputes, and the _occasional_ break in. So it is nothing like New York or LA.”

“I think that’s the appeal, sheriff” Derek says earnestly, “I’m sure I’ll still be plenty busy.”

“I’m sure you will” he smiles, “Anyways. I’d like to invite you over for dinner at my place tonight. Get to know you – it’s something I do with all my new deputies.”

“It’d be my pleasure” Derek says with a polite smile, the sheriff just smiles back and gives a nod of approval.

“I’ll write down the address” he says, taking a post –it from his desk and scribbling down the street and house number.

“What time should I be there?” he asks as he takes the post it and reminds himself to cancel his plans for the night.

“Around seven” he says, “My son is joining us and he’s working late today. Well, he’s got an afternoon shift.”

“I’ll be there seven sharp” Derek smiles and the sheriff pats his shoulder.

“Great, now, let me partner you up with one of my best” he grins, “Jordan, come say hi to deputy Hale. Show him the ropes, you’ll be patrolling together today.”

“Yes sir” he walks up to them, “How’s your son doing, by the way. Haven’t heard from him in a while.”

“Busy as always. Working some serial arsonist case at the moment” the sheriff turns to Derek “He’s a detective in the LAPD” he explains, “Mostly commutes, though. Got a flat somewhere between my place and the precinct he works.”

“You must be proud of him following in your footsteps” Derek smiles and Jordan laughs.

“Don’t get him started” he says, taking Derek by his elbow, “Let’s show you around. See you later, Sheriff.”

The sheriff gives a nod and Derek is hauled off by Jordan.

 

~~~

 

Derek knows he shouldn’t be nervous. He’s met his boss that day, dinner shouldn’t be a problem. But at the moment he’s standing in front of the door and there’s shouting coming from inside and his hand is hovering over the door – not sure if he should knock right now.

 

_“You hired a HALE as your new deputy” a voice screams, “As in a relative of fucking Peter Hale?”_

_“Yes, I did” the sheriff replies calmly, although that doesn’t seem to calm the other person._

_“You remember Peter Hale, right?” the voice shouts, “The man who I had to shoot through the head because he came at me with a  knife after gutting my girlfriend? I mean, you can understand why I’m not fond of that family. Peter fucking Hale killed Malia. His own fucking daughter, dad!”_

 

So that was the sheriff’s son, good to know. The sheriff’s son had apparently killed Derek’s uncle. Because this dinner wasn’t going to be awkward enough.

He’d read Peter’s file, and he never blamed the person who shot his uncle – the name had been kept out of the file somehow, and now it all made sense. The shooter had been the sheriff’s son. It almost frightened Derek to find how little he cared about that tidbit of information. The only thing that went through his mind was that he wanted to thank the kid, maybe express his condolences. But that would mean admitting he’d been eavesdropping outside the house.

 

“ _Look, kid. I_ know _this is hard for you. But deputy Hale is_ not _his uncle, okay? Anything but! You think I didn’t look into him? I’ve known his sister for years, you have too! You_ like _Cora, remember? And this guy has been working as a cop in New York for three years before I hired him” the sheriff is somehow still calm, “He doesn’t even look like Peter, okay? And I know for a fact that Cora or her brother never held it against you for shooting him. Nobody did.”_

 _“You_ know _how much that fucked me up, dad” his son answers, “For fuck’s sake, I was_ nineteen _. But yeah” the man takes a deep breath before continuing, clearly calmed down when he does; “ – I’m sorry. You just caught me off guard. I’m sure deputy Hale is a nice guy, right? I mean – if_ you _like him. And Jordan already_ told _me he’s a nice guy, so. Okay. I’ll stay for dinner.”_

Derek waits another two minutes before finally knocking on the door.

“Dad, can you get that? I’m setting the table” the voice from inside shouts, followed  by some footsteps after which the door is opened.

“Derek” he smiles warmly. He’s not in his uniform, and he’s wearing a soft looking red sweater with a pair of jeans.

He gestures towards Derek to follow him and when Derek follows him into the room he freezes. There’s  guy standing there, wearing a suit – as if he came straight from work – a gun in his holster and a badge on his belt and when he looks up the man freezes because Derek _knows_ that man.

“Derek” the sheriff says, “I’d like you to meet my son, Stiles.”

And Derek really doesn’t need the introduction, because he’d seen Stiles before. That very morning, to be exact.

Just when you think a dinner can’t get any more awkward.

 

“So, Derek” the sheriff is the one to initiate conversation first – and Derek isn’t really surprised by that, “Why did you decide to become a cop?”

“Well, I’d been in New York for a few years, trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life” he starts, “My mom used to be a lawyer, and I thought about following in her footsteps for while. Studied law at college for two years before I realized that it was just not me. It was about three weeks after I dropped out that my place got mugged, and it all sort of fell into place at that moment.”

“Did you and your uncle get along?” Stiles suddenly asks, and Derek looks up at him.

“Stiles!” his dad shoots him an angry look and Stiles shrugs innocently.

“What? It’s just a question.  I mean, did he know what his uncle had done?” he says, looking at Derek again.

“You don’t have to –“

“No, it’s okay” Derek says, “I didn’t know. He gave me the creeps, and he made weird jokes at family gatherings. Mostly I kept away from him as much as I could. I didn’t like him at all. When I found out what had happened – well. Cora moved in with me for the few weeks surrounding his funeral, because we didn’t want to be associated with him.”

“Did you know about Malia?” he asks, Derek raises a questioning eyebrow at him, “his daughter. She was put up for adoption when she was born. He found out about it, and then he killed her. Did you know about her?”

“I did not” he says, “Did you know her?”

“She was my girlfriend” he says, pricking at his vegetables with his fork, “She wanted to find out who her birthparents were so I looked into it for her.”

“Stiles, I told you this before. You couldn’t have known. This wasn’t your fault” the sheriff whispers, and Stiles looks at his dad – eyes stone cold and empty.

“I know that, dad” he says, “I’m just sorry I can’t kill the bastard again.”

“Me too” Derek says, and Stiles stares at him for a few seconds before bursting out laughing.

“I like you, Hale” he says after a moment, “You seem like a down to earth guy.”

“As do you. Your father told me you’re with the LAPD” he says, Stiles nods and grins widely.

“Youngest to make detective” he says, “Mostly homicide. I got the reputation of solving the crazy ones.”

“Must keep you busy” he says, Stiles smirks – a familiar glint in his eyes as he looks at Derek.

“Very busy” he says, “But luckily I got a perfect way to blow off some steam.”

“Son, I honestly don’t want to know” the sheriff interrupts, “I’m not naïve enough to believe those marks on your neck are from a vacuuming mishap.”

“I don’t know, dad” he replies with an honest smile, “You know me, I’m _very_ clumsy.”

Derek couldn’t really argue with that either, because he had witnessed Stiles’ clumsiness firsthand. Of course he couldn’t really tell the sheriff about how he met his son because the man had spilled his coffee over his shirt. How he’d nearly fallen off the stairs when they first went back to his flat for what was supposed to be a one night stand. How he’d almost run over Derek’s foot with his car when picking him up at the bar for a late night booty call.

Not really the thing to discuss with your new boss.

They talk pleasantly for the rest of the meal, and Stiles serves apple pie from the local bakery as dessert before Derek bids his farewell.

“You show him to the door, kid” the sheriff says, patting his son on the back, “I’ll go put the dishes in the dishwasher.”

Stiles nods and walks towards the front door with Derek, stepping outside with him and closing the door behind him when they’re both standing on the porch.

“Hale?” Stiles looks at him for a second, “Fuck – look. I had no idea that .”

“That was the whole point of our arrangement” Derek reminds him, eyes drifting off to the man’s lips, “as far as I’m concerned, nothing has changed.”

“So you still want to be fuckbuddies? Even though I -?” he doesn’t finish the sentence _killed your uncle._

“I don’t give a shit about that” Derek shrugs, and Stiles smiles deviously.

“Stone cold” he grins, “I like that in a guy.”

“I’m not surprised” Derek replies, reminding himself that Stiles’s father – and his new _boss_ – is standing at the other side of the door and that he _cannot_ jump Stiles right now, “You seem like you’d do whatever it takes to get what you want.”

“And here I thought you didn’t know me at all” Stiles replies, inhaling sharply and allowing his gaze to travel over Derek’s body, “When does your shift start tomorrow?”

“Two in the afternoon” he says, Stiles smirks.

“I’ll give you a call when I get home tonight. Come visit” he says, Derek nods in understanding and Stiles grins, opening the door behind him again, “It was nice to meet you _deputy Hale.”_

“Nice to meet you, too, _Detective Stilinski”_ he responds, and Stiles just smiles at him as he closes the door.

 

~~~

  

“So” Stiles says as he opens the door for Derek later that evening, “I guess we can’t really pretend we don’t know each other anymore, huh?”

“Nope” Derek says, walking into the living room of the flat, “If you want to cancel this whole thing, that’s okay. I mean, I’d rather not, but.”

“You know, technically you are sleeping with your boss’ kid” he smirks and Derek shrugs.

“You’re an adult, I doubt he’d care” Derek says, “Beside, I’m not planning on telling him that I hook up with his son whenever one of us is horny.”

“Yeah, me neither” he grins, drawing Derek in for a kiss, something tells him this thing might not be as casual as he tells himself it is.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wasn't gonna write another chapter, but I did.  
> Story of my life

_Several months ago_

_“Hello there” Stiles smiles, downing his drink in one go and eyeing up the man beside him, “You are new here, I can tell.”_

_“What of it?” the stranger replies, he’s hunched over his drink, clearly not looking for any human contact._

_“Nothing, it’s nice talking to someone who doesn’t know all about me” he says, “Or – in this case – at someone. Not talkative, are you?”_

_He grunts in reply and Stiles can’t help but chuckle, “Tell you what” he says after a while, “I know something fun to do that doesn’t require any talking at all.”_

_The man looks up, clearly eyeing him up and smirking, “Do you now?” he asks, shaking his head, “I’m not looking for anything, kid.”_

_“Neither am I,” he says, “I had a crappy day._ _And the guy I usually hook up with to relieve my stress he’s – well – otherwise engaged.”_

_“Offer me a deal” he says, his expression still unreadable._

_“Casual” he says, “No last names, my place. I got my own place, it’s practical. Only spend the night when you’re too drunk to drive. I don’t want to know about your job, your family, your sad history.”_

_“No weird stuff” he says, Stiles nods in agreement, “Not exclusive.”_

_“Deal” he says, pulling a beer card from the bar and writes down his address and phone number, “Come over in thirty, I’ll get what we need.”_

_He nods, watching Stiles as he walks away._

_Maybe coming back home wasn’t all that bad after all._

 

[ _Present day_ ]

“Look, I’d go back to Cora’s” he says, “But she started dating this guy and – well, they’re both screamers.”

“That is more than I ever needed to know about your sister” he informs Derek pulling at the blanket.

“Tell me about it” he replied, pulling at the blanket again.

“We’ll have to be more careful, you know” he says after a few minutes, “If we don’t watch out my dad will find out and he’ll think we’re dating.”

[ _3 Months later_ ]

 

 “Dude, seriously” Stiles sighs, throwing the towel in his face, “I told you to put dirty towels in the hamper, not leave them on the floor in front of the washing machine.”

“Where’s the toothpaste cap?” Derek asks, toothbrush hanging out of his mouth, “You never put the cap back on, it’s disgusting.”

“I’m doing a load of laundry, you got anything that needs washing?” he asks, Derek nods, tossing him back the towel and his jeans.

“Thanks” he says, locating the cap and putting it on the tube of toothpaste before making his way to the kitchen and making them both coffee.

“Thanks” Stiles takes the cup of coffee Derek is holding out for him with a grateful smile and takes a sip before suddenly freezing.

“Derek?” he asks slowly, “When was the last time you slept at your place?”

“Uhm – I don’t know? Last week, Monday?” he asks, shrugging before he too freezes up, “No – it – it can’t have been that long.”

“Your uniform is here, as is your back-up uniform” he says, looking at the item in question lying neatly folded on the dining room table, “You – you know how I drink my coffee. Please – please tell me this isn’t what it looks like?”

“What does it look like?” Derek asks, even though he already knows the answer.

“It looks like were _fucking_ living together, Derek” he says, “That was _not_ the arrangement! How the fuck did this happen?”

“I – I don’t know” he says, “You live closer to work?”

“Not a good enough reason, Derek” he says, raking a hand through his hair, “Look – we should take some space, okay? Stay at your place tonight, will you?”

“Yeah, sure” he says, as if it’s not a big deal. He knew what their arrangement was from the beginning, no string attached. Stiles had been adamant about that.

“Good” he says, taking in a deep breath, “Good.”

 

[…]

 

Derek doesn’t eavesdrop. But in all the time he’s been working there, he’s never known of Stiles visiting his dad at work. It’s hard to resist.

“So, when are you finally going to bring someone home?” the sheriff asks his son, sounding slightly hopeful.

“Never, dad” he shakes his head and sighs, “We’ve talked about this, haven’t we?”

“Yes, we have” he replies, “But it’s been a while, things could’ve changed.”

“Nope, Malia is still dead. So is Heather.” he says, “I’m not getting close to anyone, it’ll only put them in danger.”

“That’s a very lonely life, Stiles” he says sadly, “I know why you act like this, after losing Malia. After losing Heather because the suspect went after you. I _understand_. But you’re going to have to let it go someday.”

“Not gonna happen dad” he shakes his head, “I leave a trail of bodies in my wake. When I fall in love, they end up getting killed. I’m not risking it. I _won’t_ be responsible for another death.”

“It wasn’t your fault” his dad reminds him, “We’ve been over this. It was _not_ your fault.”

“Tell that to Malia’s adoptive father” he says, “Or Heather’s parents. I don’t do relationships, dad.”

“What about – him?” he asks, gesturing towards the hickey on his son’s neck, “And yes, I know it’s a guy, son. I’ve heard of the concept beard burn.”

“I’m ending it” he says, “It was supposed to be casual, and it’s starting to _not be_ casual. So it’s over.”

“Stiles – please don’t do this” his dad pleads, “You’re building a wall around yourself, and I can’t stand it.”

“I’m sorry dad” he shakes his head, “But that’s how it has to be.”

“It doesn’t” the sheriff insists.

“It does” Stiles states, and with those words he leaves, not even granting Derek a look as he walks past him.

 

[…]

 

“Can you please stop moping?” Cora asks, bumping his shoulder against her brother’s, “It was just casual, right?”

“It was” he says, “I thought. I don’t know what I thought. In my mind it was casual too. But then he said he couldn’t do it anymore and it crushed me.”

“These kind of things sneak up on you” his sister muses, “I had the same thing with James.” 

“The difference is that James didn’t end things with you” he says, “It’s not the same.”

“I’m confused though” Cora says, leaning against her brother and changing the channel, “Last I heard you were done with dating. After Julia, and Kate.”

“I was” he says, he shakes his head, “It’s probably for the best. It was bound to go bad sooner or later.”

“Don’t think like that” Cora admonishes him, “You were happier, being with him. Whoever it was.”

“Stiles” he sighs, feeling Cora freeze up beside him, “Ignore that.”

“Uhm, no way” she says, shaking her head, “You were sleeping with Stilinski? Your boss’ son?”

“I _know,_ it’s bad, I’m well aware of that” he says, “That’s why I said it’s probably for the best.”

“You fell for the worst possible option” she sighs, “He – he’s infamous around town. He doesn’t date. When it gets too intense, he ditches ‘em. You – I think you broke all his previous records.”

“Why doesn’t he date?” he asks, “I mean – I heard about Malia, but he’s dated since, right?”

“There was a girl, Heather” she says, “They were together for almost a year. And then on their date, he went to get her coat. When he came back, she was gone. Some guy he was investigating went after her – they found her body six months later.”

“And that’s why he doesn’t date?” he asks, Cora nods.

“You should have seen him, Derek” she sighs, leaning backwards, “He – he was broken. You didn’t know him after Malia, it took him a long time to get back to normal. And then he met Heather, and he was himself again. When she went missing – he broke. Six months, Derek. She was gone, not a trace. He looked, chased down every single lead. He – he said he _knew_ she was dead, but deep down he hoped, you know? Against better judgment.”

“What happened?” he asks after a while, “I mean – how did they find her?”

“Anonymous tip, called in finding a body by the river” she says, “He showed up here after, completely drunk. Passed out on the couch.”

“I didn’t know you were that close” he says, frowning.

“We weren’t” she shrugs, “He came here, because nobody would look for him there. I called the sheriff, said his son was safe. He just hid out over here for two weeks.”

“Wasn’t it weird?” he asked, “I mean – with the whole uncle Peter history.”

“Strangely enough not” she turns off the sound of the TV, “He told me about her, how she wanted to meet her other family. He was the one to track him down, so he blamed himself. Said he never blamed any of us, at all.”

“What did you say?”

“I told him the truth” she shrugs, “That Peter was already tracking her, that he wasn’t sane, he was a psychopath. That there was nothing he could’ve done that could’ve changed what happened.”

“And you two became friends – somehow” Derek frowns, “How come he didn’t know me, I mean – photos and stuff like that?”

“I – you never really came up” she shrugs again, “Our friendship is more a – drown our sorrows together – kind of friendship.”

“And he just hid out here for almost a month, and you didn’t mind?” he asks, she shakes her head.

“He was broken, I felt sorry for him” she says, “Even though he was wasted half the time, he didn’t leave a mess. Unlike other people I know.”

“I clean up after myself” he says defensively, Cora rolls her eyes, “Shut up.”

 

[…]

 

He breaks it off with Derek.

It’s the best choice for everyone involved, he believes. And he returns to the club, hoping to pick up someone new. He’s been nursing his drink for almost half an hour, still nobody has caught his eye. And he can’t quite explain why, until he’s joined by Scott a few minutes later.

“Still caught up on Derek huh?” he asks. Scott as his confidante, the only person in the know of his latest distractions. He used Scott as his insurance, texting him a name when he took someone home – just in case.

He wasn’t a complete idiot, you know?

“I’m not _hooked_ on Derek” he scowls, taking another sip from his drink, “Just a bad crowd in today. Besides, I don’t even like Derek.”

“Sure you don’t” Scott says, sounding only slightly condescending, “You were with him for seven months, Stiles. _Seven months_.”

“I know” he shakes his head, “I should’ve ended it sooner.”

“You shouldn’t have ended it at all” Scott corrects him, earning him a dirty look from Stiles, “But fine – whatever you say.”

[…]

 

“I saw Derek Hale making out with some guy at the club last night” Lydia says, sitting down beside him. He can’t blame her, Lydia is blissfully unaware of Stiles’ history with the man.

“Good for him” he says, “Why are you telling me?”

“I don’t know” she shrugs, “For a second I thought it was you, I guess.”

“It wasn’t” Stiles informs her, he’s only sure it wasn’t him because he spent the entire night at work, “I was working a case.”

“He’s nice, you know” she says, ordering a coffee, “Derek Hale.”

“I know” he shrugs, “He’s my dad’s deputy, I’ve met him.”

“Just checking” she smiles, “Now – what else is up with you?”

 

[…]

 

“He misses you” Cora says, Stiles almost jumps, “Derek. He slipped up about your – by lack of better word - relationship. Do you miss him?”

“No” he says, it’s a flat out lie and she can probably tell because she raises an eyebrow at him, “I mean – sure – the sex was great! And I never got cold when we shared a bed. But that’s about it!”

“Too much information, Stiles” she shudders, “He says you’re funny, and caring. And you’re ice cold, when needed be.”

“I’ve heard that before” he says, trying not to look at her. Sure, he misses Derek. But it’s for the best – he can’t grow close to someone again, no matter how perfect they are.

“He really likes you” Cora says, clearly trying to get some sort of response from him. He sighs and gets up, throwing her a look “Last I heard, he was making out with some guy at the club” Stiles informs her, “So take your bullshit somewhere else. I’ve made my choice.”

 

[…]

 

“Dad? Everything okay?” he asks, dropping the bag at his desk. He’d taken a few days off from work – long overdue – and decided to give his dad a visit at work.

“No” he shakes his head, “We got a hostage situation – Deputy Hale is caught in the middle.”

“What?” he frowns, hoping he doesn’t sound panicked, even though he feels like it, “What – did he get shot?”

“No, but the assailant is armed” his dad informs him, “We’re drawing up a plan of action – hoping to get everyone out safe. You have any suggestions?”

“Are there any security camera’s in the place?” he asks, his dad nods, “Good, I can have Danny hack them, get you a view of what’s going on inside.”

“Great idea, son” he smiles, “Sorry to spring this on you on your day off.”

“No worries, dad” he says, already searching for Danny’s number in his phone, “Happy to help.”

 

[…]

 

Derek gets shot, in his shoulder.

“Stiles – can you ride with him in the ambulance?” his dad asks, “I’d ask one of my guys, but I need everyone on the scene right now.”

Stiles nods – his dad isn’t aware of their history – and gets into the ambulance.

He can’t really help grabbing Derek’s hand – it’s almost on instinct, a second nature – if you will. Derek just holds on, eyes shut trying to bite away the pain.

“You’ll be fine, Derek” Stiles says, his other hand stroking through his hair, “Through and through, you’ve had worse, remember?”

“Still hurts like a bitch” he replies, leaning into Stiles’ touch.

“Yeah, I know” he smiles weakly, “But at least it makes you feel alive, right?”

Derek snorts, “There are much more enjoyable ways to make you feel alive” he says, meeting Stiles’ eyes eventually, “Or did you forget?”

“I think maybe I’m starting to” he replies, that’s when the ambulance arrives and they’re separated in the mayhem.

 

[…]

 

 

“I’ve heard you’ve visited Derek a few times at the hospital” his dad says, glancing up from his dinner at his son, “I didn’t know you guys were so close.”

“We’re not” Stiles says, trying to keep a straight face, “Just checking on him for you.”

His dad looks at him, a curious look on his face and then his expression shifts, and Stiles knows what’s coming next, “Oh” he says slowly, “It – it was him, wasn’t it? Your latest – no strings attached – thing.”

Stiles nods, and continues eating, hoping – against better judgment – that his dad will drop the subject.

“Since when?” the sheriff asks.

“You remember when you invited me to dinner with him?” he asks, his dad nods slowly, “About two weeks before that.”

“When did you end it?” he asks, taking another bite off his dinner.

“Last month” he says, he knows there’s no way of avoiding it now.

“So – seven months” Stiles nods, “That’s – a long time. I assume it became too serious to your liking?”

Stiles nods again, hoping the rest of his father’s questions can be answered without having to speak. Normally he doesn’t mind talking, but about subjects like this.

“You know” his dad says, “Malia and Heather weren’t your fault. You did everything in your power to help. And Derek – it’s different. He’s already a cop, so he’ll be in danger anyways. You can’t stop crossing the street because you’re afraid to get hit by a car, Stiles. You just got to look both ways before you do.”

“I – I don’t know, dad” he sighs, and the sheriff smiles weakly.

“I understand, you know” his dad says, “Your mom once visited me at work, and one of the criminals put up a fight and got free, grabbed a gun and pulled her in – the gun placed at her head. She didn’t get hurt – thankfully – but I blamed myself. I tried to keep away from her, but she kept coming back. You know what she said?”

“No” Stiles says.

“She said, I’ll be here anyways, so you can either be with me and enjoy whatever time the world grants us together. Or you can push me away and we both die sad and alone” his dad smiles weakly, “So the question is, Stiles. How much are you willing to admit you like Derek?”

“I – I don’t know dad” he shakes his head, because he knows how much he cares about Derek – that’s the problem. The moment he falls in love, is the moment they get hurt.

“I do, I know you son” he says, “The only reason you push them away, is when you’re already in too deep. So sleep on it, kid! And then you go get him.”

 

[…]

 

He knocks on the door, walking in and finding Derek alone in the hospital room.

“Hi” Derek says hesitantly, not sure what to think of Stiles’ visits.

“I miss you” he says, Derek sits up a little straighter and frowns, “I suppose by now your sister has filled you in on my disastrous dating history?”

Derek nods, “It’s just” Stiles continuous, “I got scared, and I pushed you away. And you still got hurt. And I realized – I could’ve lost you, and I wouldn’t have actually lost you because I didn’t have you. Does that even make sense? Probably not. I’m trying to find the words. Lydia told me she saw you make out with a guy, and I pretended I didn’t care – because I have no ownership over you. Cora said you missed me, and I acted like I didn’t care. Even though it was nice to hear. And you got shot, and I got scared.”

“What do you want, Stiles?” Derek asks, sighing deeply, “What are you expecting to happen now?”

“I just need to tell you” he says, “That I need you. I keep losing the cap to the toothpaste. I keep forgetting to get my laundry out of the machine, because you’re not there. I forget to have breakfast, because you don’t remind me. And those aren’t good reasons to want you back. But I miss you too! I miss waking up next to you, and fighting for the blankets in the morning. I miss you trying to hide your awful morning breath from me. I miss watching crappy reality TV with you and bitching about everyone on it with you. I like how you know so many stupid little facts about the most random things. That you know how I drink my coffee, and how you give me decaf in the evening, and think I don’t know. I love that you care enough to do that for me. I love your stupid smile when you join me in the shower and make me late for work. I love your kisses and your voice. I love how you care about your family, and how you protect my dad at work. How you make sure he eats healthy, because you know how important he is to me. Even after I treated you like crap and put you to the side. I love you Derek Hale. And I am a complete fuck up for even wanting anything less from you than the whole nine yards.”

“I get out of here next week” he says carefully, “I’m still looking for someone to give me a ride home. Maybe get dinner together with?”

“As – uhm – in a date?” Stiles asks hesitantly.

“Yeah” Derek nods, “I’m not experienced with the whole relationship thing. But I’ve heard that going on dates is part of it?”

“I’ve heard that too” he smiles, “Haven’t gone on one in ages – I’d like a date.”

“Let’s start with a date” Derek decides, “And see where we go from there.”

“It’s a date” he says, a solemn nod, “I’ll take it.”


End file.
